White Knight's Fall
by iceandfire66
Summary: In an alternate version of "The Dark Knight", Harvey's coin flip lands the other way, leading him to kill the Joker. Now Batman and Gordon must stop new villains, including Harvey Two-Face and Harley Quinn. AU and violence. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: TwoFace Rises

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 1: Two-Face Rises**

The entire Gotham General Hospital was in a state of chaos. Police officers and medical professionals alike were scattered around it trying to evacuate the last of the patients. Inside one of the ordinary rooms of the hospital were the only two people left inside: the Joker and Harvey Dent. Harvey was lying on his bed, leering at the clown with pure hatred. The clown handed the D.A. a pistol.

"Introduce a little anarchy" the Joker said coldly. Harvey looked at him curiously as he held the gun.

"Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos!" the Joker hissed. The Joker pointed the gun right at his own forehead, without any hesitation or fear.

"I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos?" the Joker asked Harvey rhetorically. Harvey simply stared at him.

"It's fear" the Joker said. Harvey tried to process the situation through his already corrupted and confused mind. He held up his father's coin in front of the Joker. He showed the psychopath the heads side of the coin.

"You live" Harvey said.

"Mmm" the Joker said with understanding. Harvey then turned the coin to reveal the burnt side.

"You die!" Harvey said with the muscles of the burnt half of his face contracting.

"Hmm, now we're talking!" the Joker said dryly. Harvey flipped the coin, and put it on his hand. He looked at the coin, and saw the burnt side showing. He looked at the Joker, somewhat unsure of what to do.

"Well, what's it gonna be? You've come this far, only to let some clown stop you from saving Gotham?" the Joker asked him. Harvey still couldn't make up his mind.

"Lives aren't meant to be eternal. Go ahead, kill me. Prove that nobody, not even me, is immortal or invincible" the Joker said. Harvey shook his head in disagreement.

"I shouldn't kill anyone, not even you" Harvey said.

"Why not? After all, wouldn't little old Rebecca have wanted you to do it?" the Joker asked him in a mocking tone. Suddenly, Harvey's expression turned into pure aggression.

"It's RACHEL!!!!!!!!!!!" Harvey screamed. He pulled the trigger, and watched the bullet fly through the criminal's head, creating a rush of blood that erupted from his forehead. The Joker fell to the ground, as dead as a rock. Harvey smiled at the Joker's corpse, feeling that he had avenged Rachel. He searched the clown and found a detonator in his pocket, along with a few knives. He took the detonator, and crushed it in his hand, disabling its ability to activate the bombs. He dragged the Joker's body out of the bleak medical room, and saw another room open. He went inside to see barrels of oil. He dumped the oil on the Joker's body, and ignited it with a lighter. He stepped back as the clown's body began to burn.

"Now you know how it felt when Rachel died" Harvey said. He walked out of the room and proceeded out of an exit. He saw no cops nearby, and caught a glance of a black SUV parked near the building. He saw two people with clown masks walk out from behind the car and approach him.

"Hey, you ain't the boss. Who the hell are you?" the henchman asked. Dent held up a coin in front of his face.

"The name's Two-Face. Harvey Two-Face" Harvey said. He flipped the coin, caught it in his other hand, saw the burnt side up, and shot the henchman who asked him his name.

"Holy crap!" the other henchman yelled. He ran towards the car as Harvey flipped his coin. Harvey saw the normal side, and watched the henchman drive away. He looked to his right and saw a Mercedes parked a few yards away from him. He busted open the window, opened the door, and sat in the front seat to see that the key was already in the ignition. Harvey adjusted the mirror, and looked at the scarred side of his face.

"Every person that had a part in your death, Rachel, is gonna get their just desserts" Harvey said coldly. He floored the pedal, and drove away from the hospital. As he kept driving down the street, he turned his head towards the mirror to see buses picking up patients a few blocks away.

* * *

Commissioner Gordon was sitting next to Mr. Reese, who was shivering badly. Bruce Wayne seemed to be mindlessly playing with his cell phone.

"Everything will be fine, Mr. Reese. That clown isn't gonna cause your death" Gordon assured him.

"He's not the one I'm worried about. I'm more preoccupied with the people that have relatives in a hospital!" Reese said out of fear. Before Gordon could reply, he got a call in on his radio.

"Commissioner, all hospitals have been evacuated" Ramirez said out of the radio.

"Good. Is anyone missing?" Gordon asked her.

"Just one person… Harvey Dent" Ramirez said. Gordon felt his heart sink. Gordon quickly walked away from Reese and the others.

"Harvey hasn't been found?" he whispered into the radio.

"Unfortunately. We sent a scout in, so he should be able to figure out what happened" Ramirez said.

"I don't care what it takes, just find Harvey!" Gordon screamed, but realized that Reese, Wayne and the others had heard him. Bruce's eyes widened in shock, as did everyone else's.

"Harvey Dent is missing?" Reese asked him. Before Gordon could reply, he heard Ramirez speak again.

"Sir, that scout came back" Ramirez said.

"Did he find Harvey?" Gordon asked.

"No, but he did find the burnt corpse of who we believe to be the Joker" Ramirez said. Gordon's eyebrows rose in confusion.

"The Joker's dead? Are you sure?" Gordon asked in disbelief while narrowing his eyes.

"I'm positive. He had traces of the makeup, the same height, and from what we're seeing of the corpse it looks like the same body build" Ramirez said. Gordon sighed in relief.

"Well, at least he's out of the picture now" Gordon said.

"Sir, since he's dead, should we move the patients back into the hospitals?" Ramirez asked.

"No, let's hold them for a while, let the bomb squads search the hospitals, and if there's no sign of an explosive, we'll put them back" Gordon ordered.

"Understood" Ramirez said, and Gordon clicked the switch on his radio before putting it back in his belt. Gordon looked towards the site where the accident happened. Wayne's lambo was a complete mess from the view of its right side. Gordon walked away from the scene to clear his mind. He kept walking down a sidewalk. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw somebody familiar in a nearby car that was parked no more than 10 yards away from him. He looked closely and saw a burnt side of a face. The head turned towards the commissioner, and Gordon saw no other than Harvey Dent.


	2. Chapter 2: Rendezvous with Fate

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 2: Rendezvous with Fate**

Gordon was relieved to see Gotham's D.A. He rushed over to the car, and smiled at Harvey. Harvey returned a deceiving grin.

"I could have had my men escort you out of there" Gordon said.

"It's alright. I don't trust some of your guys anyway" Harvey said. Gordon replied with an awkward chuckle, unsure of whether or not he should be laughing.

"Harvey, what happened back there?" Gordon asked. Harvey looked at Gordon with confusion.

"Back where?" Harvey replied.

"At the hospital, what was happening?" Gordon asked.

"I didn't really know what was going on. People were evacuating, everything was in chaos" Harvey said. The commissioner sighed, trying to figure out how he could describe what happened. After a moment of silence, he looked Harvey in the eyes.

"Harvey, the Joker threatened to blow up a hospital, so we were getting all the patients and medics out of the hospitals" Gordon explained.

"Is that so?" Harvey asked him. Gordon cleared his throat as he prepared to touch a more difficult subject.

"We also have reports that the Joker was found burned in the hospital. To our knowledge, you were the only two people in there" Gordon said. Harvey shrugged.

"I had no idea" Harvey said sarcastically.

"Harvey, please tell me what happened" Gordon begged. Harvey mentally debated about whether or not he should tell Gordon the truth.

"The Joker came to me Gordon, and I did what Batman should have done a long time ago" Harvey said coldly. Gordon looked at him in shock, and his expression changed from a calm look to a horrified one.

"Why would you do that? You're our white knight, our Harvey Dent, how could you-" Gordon said before being cut off.

"Stop calling me that! Harvey Dent died a long time ago! Now there's only Harvey Two-Face!" Harvey hissed. Gordon sighed in disappointment.

"You realize that if your DNA is found on the Joker's body, I'll have to charge you appropriately" Gordon warned him. Harvey nodded.

"I understand completely, but I doubt your cops will find anything other than ashes" Harvey replied.

"Are you going to resume your position as district attorney?" Gordon asked him.

"As soon as I can, but your double-crossing cops are gonna pay for kidnapping me and Rachel" Harvey said angrily. Gordon nodded in agreement.

"I guess it's fair for you to prosecute them" Gordon said. Harvey shook his head.

"That's not what I meant" Harvey said darkly. Harvey started the car and drove away from the bewildered commissioner. Suddenly, Gordon's eyes widened in shock as he realized what Harvey meant.

* * *

Pegorino's Pizzeria was one of the many restaurants owned by the Italian mobster Salvatore Maroni. The pizzeria didn't have a single customer, except for one mob boss and his two bodyguards. Inside of the restaurant, Maroni was enjoying his lunch as his bodyguards attentively stood at the door. A waiter approached Maroni calmly.

"Was everything to your liking, Mr. Maroni?" the waiter asked. Maroni wiped his mouth and smiled at the waiter.

"It was delicious, but there wasn't much conversation. I've talked with rocks that were friendlier, not to mention brighter" Maroni teased as he pointed at his two bodyguards. The waiter walked through the door into the kitchen with Maroni's plates.

"Sorry boss, but ever since this clown came into the picture, we've been scared stiff" one of the bodyguards said.

"Well don't be. I'm not gonna let some circus freak kill me" Maroni said confidently. Suddenly, the guards heard a gunshot from the other room. They immediately ran inside, and Maroni heard a series of blasts come from the kitchen. He then heard two other gunshots that sounded different than the ones before. After a few seconds of seemingly endless gunfire, he saw Harvey come in from the kitchen. Maroni stared at the district attorney in disgust as he saw the left half of his face.

"Speaking of freaks" Maroni muttered in a surprised tone. Harvey sat down on the other side of the table. He held up his father's coin.

"Your boys aren't very lucky. They both had a little rendezvous with fate back there" Harvey said as he rotated the coin continuously in a fidgeting manner.

"What exactly do you want?" Maroni asked him. Harvey grabbed the smooth-talking Italian by the shirt.

"What the hell do you think I'm here for, PIZZA?!?! I want REVENGE!" Harvey yelled in anger. Maroni pointed at Dent in a relaxed manner.

"Look, take your anger out on the clown. He's the reason your babe died" Maroni said in an attempt to calm Harvey.

"The Joker's dead, and he's just an agent of chaos. I'm after the moron who hired him" Harvey said.

"He, he, who do you think you're kidding? You're Gotham's hero. You're not gonna just decide to kill me" Maroni said confidently.

"That's why it isn't up to me" Harvey said. He let go of the Italian and got up from his seat. He took a bottled cocktail from the bar and sat down again. He took out a lighter and put it next to the bottle.

"What's that?" Maroni asked. Harvey flipped his coin, and caught it. He saw that the burned side was showing.

"Your destiny" Harvey said. Harvey lit the tip of the bottle on fire. He grabbed it, and held it behind his back. Before he could throw it, Maroni took out a pistol and shot Harvey's chest. Harvey seemed to have no pain from the shot, and chucked the bottle at Maroni's face. He screamed in pain as he was set and fire and fell to the ground. Harvey got up and took a few steps back as Maroni crawled slowly towards him, screaming and cursing in agony. Suddenly, Maroni's head fell to the floor, and he was just a burnt corpse. Harvey unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a plate of body armor on his chest.

"These things really help against guns. If you had a fire blanket, maybe you wouldn't have burned. Say hi to the Joker for me" Harvey mocked as he stared at the body. He stepped away from the dead mobster, and walked out of the restaurant.


	3. Chapter 3: Stand Against Corruption

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 3: Stand Against Corruption**

As a police officer, Gordon had seen a lot of evil things, especially recently with the Joker's attacks. This really took the cake, however. In front of Gordon lied the corpse of Sal Maroni. To say that the sight of carnage was gruesome would be an understatement. The body had no skin left on it, and several patches of bones could be seen on the body. Gordon continued to stare at it in shock and disgust as his police officers were looking around the restaurant for clues relating to the mobster's death. Detective Ramirez walked up next to Gordon.

"Look at the psychos we have today. They burn bodies like a bunch of pyromaniacs" Ramirez muttered as she viewed the body.

"They're getting as bad as the clown was" Gordon said as he walked towards the kitchen with Ramirez. When he got inside, he had no reaction whatsoever when he saw Batman examining the bodies of Maroni's goons that were on the floor. Ramirez nodded at the commissioner, and walked out of the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.

"Looks like a shot from a pistol, probably not that powerful" Batman said as he took the bullet out from a goon's head. He then took the bullet out of the other body.

"They both were shot only in the head, but it looks like they tried putting up a fight" he said as he looked at machine guns beside the dead henchmen.

"I think Harvey did this" Gordon said sadly. Batman stood up and stared at Gordon in shock.

"Why would he be responsible?" Batman asked. Gordon put his hand over his head as he struggled to tell Batman what he knew.

"Harvey told me that he would punish the people who were responsible for Rachel's death" Gordon said. Batman looked at him curiously.

"He said he was going to kill them?" Batman asked.

"It was implied, not stated" Gordon replied.

"It was still a threat either way" Batman said.

"Harvey killed the Joker" Gordon said. Batman stared at him with uncertainty.

"Are you sure?" he asked him. Gordon nodded hastily.

"He told me earlier today. The Joker's body was just like Maroni's when we found it" Gordon replied.

"Then we need to take action. If someone finds out about this, Dent's reputation will be lost, and the hope Gotham has now will dissolve in chaos" Batman said. Gordon knelt beside the body to look at it again.

"I'll get these down to the MCU" Gordon said.

"What are you gonna-" Gordon began to ask as he turned towards where the caped crusader was standing before, but found that he was now in the room by himself, with no trace of where Batman went.

"You think I'd be used to this" Gordon muttered ironically. He walked into the dining room of the restaurant to find Ramirez waiting for him.

"Ramirez, I want these corpses back at the MCU immediately" Gordon said. The detective rushed into the kitchen with another cop to get the bodies. Gordon took one last look at Maroni's corpse, noticing that there were pieces of broken glass near the body. He put the pieces of glass in a small plastic container, not letting his fingerprints leave marks on the pieces.

* * *

In one of Gotham's many bars, Detective Wuertz was enjoying his day off by having a few drinks. Beside where he sat at the bar, there were a few empty shot glasses. The detective finished gulping down another shot.

"That hit the spot" Wuertz said.

"You're gonna make yourself sick if you keep having these shots" the bartender warned him. Wuertz nodded with a goofy smile, and looked curiously around the room.

"Where's the bathroom in this joint?" Wuertz asked. The bartender pointed to his right. Wuertz quickly walked into the bathroom. He found three urinals with walls separating each of them. Before he could stand in front of them, he heard a familiar voice.

"Taking your bathroom break, detective?" the voice asked. He looked around to see Harvey come out of a stall with half of his face hideously scarred.

"Dent? Jesus, I thought you was dead" Wuertz said.

"Half, and by the way, it's Two-Face" Harvey replied as he held up his coin in one hand and cocked his pistol in the other. Wuertz ran to the door, but Harvey pushed him out of the way and into the nearby wall. He locked the door and blocked Wuertz from reaching it.

"I want to know who kidnapped Rachel. Who was Maroni's other cop in the MCU?" Harvey asked.

"I don't know, I-" Wuertz began to say before Harvey punched him in the jaw.

"Stop lying! If you want to have a chance of living, tell me who it was!" Harvey yelled.

"I swear, I have no idea. Ask Maroni, or the Joker, or" Wuertz began to say before Harvey interrupted him.

"They're all dead and you will be too if you don't tell me what happened!" Harvey screamed.

"You're joking, right?" Wuertz asked hopefully. Harvey shot the cop in the leg, taking pleasure as he saw the detective begin to cry and crawl on the tiled floor.

"Do you really think I'm JOKING?!!?" Harvey screamed. Wuertz put his hands up in fear and surrender.

"Okay, okay I give! Ramirez did it! She kidnapped Rachel!" Wuertz said in a scared voice. Harvey flipped the coin, and it landed on the heads side.

"I guess some people are lucky" Harvey said. Wuertz looked at him in confusion.

"So, I can go?" Wuertz asked him. Harvey shook his head.

"No, that flip was for the bartender" Harvey replied. Wuertz looked at him with a puzzled gaze. He flipped the coin again, and it landed on the burnt side. He held the coin up to the detective's face.

"This flip is yours" Harvey added. Wuertz widened his eyes in shock as Harvey raised the gun.

"No, Dent, please!" Wuertz begged. Harvey fired the gun, which went right between the cop's eyes. Suddenly, he heard knocking coming from the door he locked.

"Hey, what's going on in there? I'm coming in right now!" the bartender's muffled voice said. Harvey hastily walked over to a window in the bathroom, broke it open, and jumped outside. He dropped a few yards to the ground but landed well on his feet. He put away the gun, and ran away from the crime scene by going through an alley. He heard the bartender's faint screams from inside the building.

"What's he screaming about? Did someone forget to flush?" Harvey muttered sarcastically. He hopped in his Mercedes, and drove far away from the homicide's site.

* * *

Ramirez was working at her desk at the MCU, trying to analyze the broken glass found at the crime scene by Gordon. The commissioner walked up beside her.

"Found anything yet?" Gordon asked in a worried voice.

"There are traces of DNA on it, but I'm not gonna be able to identify it just yet" Ramirez said. Ramirez looked at Gordon.

"Any idea who did this?" she asked him.

"I have my suspicions" Gordon admitted.

"Gordon, could the Joker still be alive?" Ramirez asked him. He looked at her with a confused gaze.

"I mean, what if the body we found was an impostor? What if he's the one behind this?" Ramirez asked. Gordon shook his head in disagreement.

"I doubt that he's alive. If he was still living, he'd let us know with a podcast or something" Gordon replied. Suddenly, an officer came up to Gordon.

"Commissioner, there's a call for you from the District Attorney's office" the officer said. Gordon nodded, wondering if the caller was Harvey.

"Keep working on that" Gordon ordered before walking away from the detective. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ring. She answered the call, which ended the Hispanic music from the ringtone.

"Hello?" Ramirez asked.

"Detective Ramirez, this is Paul Blant from the Mayor's office. The Mayor would like you to come over here immediately" the voice from the phone said. There was something oddly familiar about the voice, but Ramirez couldn't put her finger on it.

"Okay, I'll be right there" Ramirez replied. She walked out of the MCU and went towards her parked BMW. As she got in the car, she was unaware that Harvey was watching her from a distance with a remote in his hand. He flipped his coin, and it had the burnt side showing. As the detective put on her seatbelt, something just came to her mind.

"Wait a minute, Paul Blant was killed a few months ago" Ramirez muttered. Harvey pulled the trigger, and watched in delight as the detective's car exploded. He smiled at the flames that still burned on the scrap that remained.

"This is justice. This is a stand against corruption" Harvey said in an assuring voice to himself. He walked into the shadows of an alley, just before the police officers began to run towards the burnt scrap of metal.


	4. Chapter 4: The Fanatical DA

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 4: The Fanatical D.A.  
**

Ashes and scrap were spread out across the parking garage. The bare frame of the car was left, nothing more. The color had been burned off, along with the rubber in the tires. The MCU cops were scanning the area, trying to find evidence or some kind of clue. Gordon looked at the car from a distance, unable to divert his gaze. His eyes were fixated on the grotesque bones that remained of Detective Ramirez.

"I can't believe this. Wuertz was found dead before, now Ramirez…" Gordon said in sorrow. Suddenly, he heard something flap behind him. He snapped around with his gun out, but put it away and relaxed his stance when he saw that it was only Batman.

"You seem tense" Batman said in his gruff voice.

"Everyone is now that cops are getting murdered even with the Joker gone!" Gordon said angrily.

"We'll find this killer" Batman said.

"How do you know that?! HOW WILL WE FIND HIM!" Gordon screamed. Batman looked at him in surprise. Gordon realized how he just spoke, and immediately looked at the caped crusader apologetically.

"Sorry, I'm just preoccupied. Very preoccupied" Gordon said. Batman nodded in response. He walked beside the commissioner, gazing upon the sight across the street.

"Wuertz was found dead. Someone shot him in the head" Gordon said.

"I know, I've seen the body" Batman replied. Gordon looked at the vigilante hopefully.

"Any DNA traces?" Gordon asked him. Batman nodded, and turned to Gordon.

"I found some fingerprints on the shirt he was wearing. Here" Batman said as he handed Gordon a piece from the shirt.

"Did you have time to examine them?" Gordon inquired. Batman shook his head.

"I don't need to examine them to know who's doing this" Batman said.

"Who do you suppose is behind this?" Gordon asked.

"The only person who had motives against the recent victims" Batman said. Gordon looked at Batman with a bewildered expression as he walked over towards his Batpod.

"Who?" Gordon asked Batman as he started the engines.

"Our White Knight" he answered. He drove pass Gordon, out of the building, speeding past the other cops. The police officers stared curiously as he drove away in the vehicle. Gordon looked at the evidence with curiosity, putting it in his pocket. He walked over to where the other officers were.

"Do you really trust him, Commissioner?" one of the officers asked. Gordon looked at the officer, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I have faith in him. What about you?" he asked. The officer nodded hesitantly, and quickly walked away from the Commissioner.

* * *

Bruce sat in front of his supercomputer in his underground base, while Alfred stood beside him with a cup of tea. Images of DNA scans and matches flew at the screen, one of them reading _IDENTICAL_ with a picture of Dent's fingerprint and another fingerprint next to it.

"Are you sure it's Mr. Dent, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked him. Bruce nodded.

"The broken glass at the restaurant had this DNA fingerprint on it. And as a precaution, I took this fingerprint from Dent after he shook my hand at the restaurant a few weeks ago" Bruce said. Alfred nodded in pity.

"I was afraid so, when I saw this on the news a moment ago" Alfred said. He turned on one of the screens, and it displayed a press conference. Bruce looked at it to see Harvey Dent standing at the podium with a white towel covering half of his face.

"_I may have been weakened physically by my recent accident, but I assure you that I've never been more devoted to my cause of ridding this town of crime" Dent said as people in the audience cheered him on._

"_That's why I'm glad that justice has reached the criminals like Maroni and the Joker!" Dent yelled enthusiastically, resulting in even more applause from the crowd._

"_Criminals will soon be a thing of the past, no matter what the cost! I won't rest until every monster gets what's coming!" Dent screamed. The audience screamed at the top of their lungs._

Alfred shut off the video. "It seems our inspirational D.A. is more fanatic than ever" Alfred stated as he handed Bruce a package.

"What's this?" Bruce asked.

"Mr. Fox sent it this morning. I assume it's a new knick-knack for Batman" Alfred explained. Bruce opened it to reveal what appeared to be a pistol and several darts filled with fluid.

"What are those exactly?" Alfred asked him as Bruce loaded the darts into the weapon.

"If Dent has gone astray, I can't kill him. However, I could incapacitate him with these and bring him to Gordon" Bruce said.

"Does Commissioner Gordon know about what our D.A. might be doing?" Alfred asked. Bruce shook his head.

"He'll figure it soon, and that's why I'm worried" Bruce said.

"Why?" Alfred asked with a confused gaze. Bruce walked towards his Batman armor.

"Because, if the cops get to him before Batman, then we might have a problem" Bruce said as he began to put on his armor.

* * *

The interior of the commissioner's office was bleak. Files of criminals and psychopaths alike were scattered across Gordon's desk. He picked up a folder labeled _JOKER_ to examine its contents. He looked inside to see the few pictures that they had of the criminal, and next to them the little known information about him. He picked up the joker card from the clown's first crime, and looked at it with a depressed gaze.

"I never thought he would have caused so much chaos" Gordon muttered. He heard footsteps, and raised his head to see an officer walking towards him with a folder.

"Sir, here's the information we got from the forensics scan" the officer said as he placed the folder on the desk.

"Good. Were there any matches?" Gordon asked. The officer shook his head.

"There wasn't a match for any suspect or criminal in our database" the officer replied. Gordon sighed in disappointment.

"Then it must be a new criminal" Gordon said. Suddenly, he remembered what Batman had said earlier.

"Does our database have DNA from any Gotham district attorneys?" Gordon asked.

"I don't think so sir" the officer said. He looked at Gordon in surprise. "Do you think it could be a former D.A. out for revenge?" the officer asked.

"Maybe" Gordon replied. "_But I think it might be our current D.A. instead"_ Gordon thought to himself.

"You can go back to your patrol" Gordon said. The officer walked out of the office, and Gordon sat back in his chair.

"_How am I gonna get Dent's DNA?" _Gordon thought to himself.


	5. Chapter 5: Enter Harley Quinn

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 5: Enter Harley Quinn**

The District Attorney's office had one of the best views of all of Gotham City. Harvey stood by his desk as he looked outside at the streets of Gotham. The moon above and lights below illuminated the city despite it being almost nine o' clock. With the mob virtually defeated and the Joker gone, Gotham City was more peaceful than ever before. Despite the period of harmony, Harvey was still distressed.

He felt that justice had been accomplished when he had first killed the Joker, but now looking back on the people he murdered, he's wondering if it was just vengeance. No, Harvey thought, it wasn't just about that. Surely he wanted revenge on them, but it was more than that. Every person he killed had done something that was morally or legally wrong, and as long as he was Gotham's district attorney, he wouldn't let injustices happen. Rachel understood his kind of justice, from when she first declared her support for his campaign at a press conference months ago. From that point on, he began to look at her as more than an assistant. He had fallen in love with her, and he believed that she felt the same. He picked up the picture of Rachel and sadly looked at it.

No, he KNEW she felt the same. She told him right before her cruel carnage, before she had been blown to ashes by the Joker's explosives. Harvey tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help himself. The whole time in the hospital, he was fixated on punishing the Joker and his associates. He only did what was natural. The Joker killed who he loved most, so he killed who the Joker loved most – himself.

On second thought, Harvey couldn't rightfully think that the Joker loved anyone, even himself. He recalled Gordon mentioning that the Joker had tried to provoke Batman to smash into him with his Batpod. Then he remembered the written document of the clown's interrogation. He read the entire thing, the perfect example of how crazy the Clown Prince of Crime truly was. Most criminals hated Batman because he was their biggest opponent and stopped them from committing crimes. The Joker, however, couldn't get enough of the Caped Crusader – he admitted that Batman completed him, that without the Bat, he was nothing.

Now Harvey understood what this meant. It meant an entirely new kind of escalation – not one of weapons, but of people. More psychos were going to come to Gotham because of Batman's presence. They were going to try to defeat him in some way, whether it was physical or mental. He currently had no awareness about a new psycho on the streets, but he stayed vigilant. The minute someone came, he'd have to react, so he could keep the monsters locked up and away from the innocent civilians.

A knock came from the door, snapping Harvey out of his thoughts. He walked to the side of his desk, cautiously looking at the metallic door. With no appointments scheduled, Harvey couldn't imagine who it would be.

"Yes?" Harvey asked. He heard a gun cock, and jumped behind his desk as bullets from SMGs began to pierce through the walls and doors. He opened a drawer, and grabbed a plate of armor and a pistol from it. He looked above his desk, and saw that the thugs still couldn't get through the door. Harvey saw through the holes in the wall that there were a number of armed men on the other side of the door. One of the men shot a larger hole in the wall with a shot gun, and a man walked beside him with his weapon aimed at Harvey. He fired his gun, only hitting the desk covering Harvey.

"This door won't last forever" yelled an Italian thug.

"Get the bazooka" Harvey heard a Russian thug order. Just when he thought it was all over, Harvey saw something cloaked in black flying towards the window. Batman crashed through the glass, and walked over to Harvey. A thug aimed his rifle at him, but Batman threw a metal bat-shaped object into the gun's nozzle, preventing the weapon from firing. Batman looked outside with the grappling gun in his hand. He shot it to the top of the roof, and heard the hook clinch to something. He tugged it, determining that it was secure.

"Hang on" Batman commanded in his gruff voice. Harvey grabbed hold of Batman's upper body, just as a thug kicked down the door, and aimed a bazooka at the pair. Batman jumped out the window with Harvey, and the two watched the rocket fly over their heads as they jumped out.

"Alright, we evaded it" stated Harvey in a happy voice. Batman looked closely at the rocket, and saw that it was starting to turn around.

"Damnit, it's a heat seeking missile" Batman replied. He simply examined the missile as it flew towards them. Harvey screamed in fear, and at the last second, Batman simply let go of the gun. The rocket flew into the building, shattering an office into pieces. Batman and Harvey began to freefall, so he shoved his spiked gauntlet into the building, slowing the two down to a complete stop. He looked at the discontented district attorney.

"You alright?" Batman asked. Harvey narrowed his eyes.

"Do you seriously want me to answer that?" Harvey asked.

"No, not really" he answered in his scratchy voice. They looked down below to see the police arriving at the scene.

"How do we get down?" Harvey inquired.

"Allow me" the vigilante replied. Harvey tightly held his grip on Batman's torso as he turned around to face the building. He began to scale down the remaining his stories by digging his gauntlets into the wall one at a time.

"You're really nuts, aren't you?" Harvey muttered.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Batman asked.

"No, because I already know the answer" Harvey told him with a smile.

* * *

The duo had finally reached the ground, softly landing. Commissioner Gordon walked towards them, with a look of amusement on his face.

"I sent the S.W.A.T. team up there to take care of the people who attacked you" Gordon explained. Harvey nodded in response.

"You're gonna have to come with me so we can figure out who these goons work for" Gordon said.

"Of course. By the way, thanks for helping me" Harvey said as he turned in Batman's direction. Instead, however, he saw that Batman was nowhere in sight.

"He's gotta show me how to do that. It would make avoiding the paparazzi a lot easier" Harvey joked. Gordon chuckled at the statement, and walked with the district attorney to his police car.

* * *

Inside an abandoned warehouse, five people with clown masks were seated around a table playing cards. One of them threw down four queens with a hearty laugh.

"I win again" he declared. Before he could take the pile, a person with a skinny arm blocked him. The person had a mask with eyes of two different sizes and a tongue sticking out.

"Not so fast, bub" the clown said with a feminine voice. She put down her cards, revealing them to be four kings and a joker.

"I won this time, and with my favorite card too" she stated referring to the joker card.

"That's 'cause you're lucky, Harley" the clown said. The girl took off her distorted clown mask and combed her beautiful blonde hair with her hand. She had baby blue eyes, innocent at first sight, but concealing a devious mind. Her face had white powder, her lips were ruby red, and her eyelashes had eye-shadowing. She had a great figure, not skinny because of dieting or anorexia, but because of enduring exercise. Her clothes were a jester's outfit, with a black and red pattern that included a few diamonds.

They knew her as Harley Quinn, but she used to be known as Harleen Quinzel, a former psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. Without the makeup, any man would find her to be attractive. She wore the makeup, however, in honor of her boss and love, the Joker. When she met the Joker, he wasn't a popular criminal yet. He was just a patient at the asylum. She began to understand his opinions of life and his belief that he world should be plunged into chaos.

"When are the boys supposed to get back anyhow?" Harley asked.

"They got caught" a clown said. She stared at him angrily.

"What?" she inquired quietly. The other goons stared at the clown, who gulped in fright.

"Well, uh, I saw it on the news. Batman saved Dent from them, and the police locked 'em up" he replied. Harley slowly approached him.

"And you didn't tell me this, why?" She shot him a look that could scare any human.

"I sorta figured you knew about it" Harley shook her head in disappointment.

"Well, we can't have that" Harley declared. She pulled out a knife and put it to his throat. The others stared in fear, while the unfortunate clown beside her shivered in fear. She pressed it against him, revealing the blade to be plastic and harmless.

Harley began to laugh, and then the clown next to her chuckled as well. The other clowns began to crack up as well.

"You're a killer, Harley" the clown said. She walked behind him, and twisted off the other part of the knife as if it were a cap. A sharper blade was revealed, and she shoved it into his head, killing the man. The others stopped laughing, and had shocked expressions under their masks.

"I know I am" Harley replied with a smile. She put on her jester hat, and faced the other clowns.

"Maybe it would have freaked out the cops more if I have you guys wear the clown masks next time" Harley muttered. She faced the others.

"Okay boys, get the others here. It's time we show Batman what we're really made of" The clowns nodded, and ran off to the rest of the building, searching for the other thugs. Harley went up the stairs and into her private room. She looked at a picture of the Joker, and closed her eyes to reminisce.

"Oh pudding, I wish you were still here. Things just aren't the same" Harley said. She opened her eyes.

"But if you thought Batman was tons of fun, then I may as well give it a shot!" Harley said with determination.


	6. Chapter 6: Aggressive Intervention

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 6: Aggressive Intervention**

Mayor Garcia was patiently sitting in his chair. The door opened and Harvey Dent entered the room.

"You wanted to see me?" Harvey asked. The mayor nodded.

"Close the door" he ordered. Harvey did so, and the mayor motioned his hand to a chair. Harvey took a seat.

"I've just talked with Gordon about who may have killed the Joker" Garcia stated.

"Did he find a suspect?" Harvey asked.

"He found fingerprints, but he's not sure whose they are" Garcia said.

"Well, I guess it was one of the hosp-"

"Why isn't your DNA in the GCPD database?" Garcia asked, cutting him off. Harvey was surprised at first, but he soon masked his shocked expression as a confused one.

"I had no idea" Harvey said. Garcia sighed, and looked directly at Harvey.

"Listen, Harvey, I don't care if you killed the Joker" Garcia said honestly.

"But the same unknown DNA sample was found on cops that were mysteriously killed the other day." Garcia added.

"They were corrupt cops" Harvey said. Garcia looked at him in frustration.

"Harvey, nobody can find out you were killing poli-" The doors slammed open, revealing Harley Quinn and a few clown thugs. Her makeup was the same as the Joker's: her eyes were smeared black, and scarlet lipstick painted her lips. Her face, however, had no scars on it. Harvey hit one thug with a few blows. Some of the thugs restrained Harvey, and others restrained the mayor.

"Sorry to interrupt, Rodriguez" Harley said.

"Uh, actually, it's Garcia, boss" a clown said. Harley shrugged.

"Whatever, all these Spanish names sound the same to me" Harley replied. She walked over to Harvey.

"Are you here to kill me?" Harvey asked.

"What? You think that just because you killed my boyfriend, I'm gonna kill you?" Harley asked. As Harvey nodded, she shook her head.

"I don't wanna hurt you. I wanna help you, Harvey" Harley told him.

"Don't listen to her, Harvey!" Garcia said. Harley narrowed her eyes at him.

"Shut him up" Harley commanded. The thugs gagged him, muffling his voice.

"You're angry that your beloved Rachel died. You want revenge. But you've been killing the wrong people" Harley said.

"What are you talking about? All those people were part of her death" Harvey said.

"Yes, but were they the ones who failed to save her?" Harvey stared at her, intently listening.

"Were any of them a psychotic vigilante that chose to save you instead? Or were any of them a police commissioner who watched Rachel burn to death?" Harley asked. Her words stunned Dent.

"Gordon and Batman…" Harvey muttered. Harley looked at the thugs, and they released Dent. He simply stood there.

"Don't get me wrong, the people who actually killed Rachel were to blame. But Batman and Gordon are indirectly the cause. Do you see what I mean, Harvey?" Harley asked. Dent's face showed no emotion.

"It's Two-Face" Two-Face told her. Harley smiled mischeviously.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a busy schedule tonight" Harley said. As she left the room, the thugs followed her, two of them holding Garcia. Muffled screams came from his mouth, and the doors shut behind them.

Two-Face turned to a mirror, and began to examine himself. His thoughts continued to lead toward the same thing: vengeance. His expression became angry, and he took out a pistol. He screamed at the mirror, and shot it. His face's reflection fractured into small pieces and cracks.

* * *

The Batpod zoomed on the highway, cutting corners anywhere that it could. Batman looked at his onboard GPS, examining a map of the city. The screen read, "TURN RIGHT", and he immediately swerved the vehicle off the road, angering and scaring the drivers around him. The engines roared as he entered a junkyard. Mounds of trash and forgotten objects were scattered across the landscape. Batman pressed a button on his vehicle, and the dirt in front of one of the mounds turned into a ramp leading into the ground. He slowly went down the ramp and pressed the button again, closing it. He accelerated the Batpod into his new batcave, and parked the vehicle next to a fenced case. He put his outfit into the case and pulled a lever, lowering the cage into the ground. Bruce walked over towards the computer, where Alfred was waiting for him.

"Your daring rescue of the district attorney was on the news this evening" Alfred said. He turned on the monitors, and Bruce saw videos of him carrying Dent as he climbed down the building.

"Really? What'd you think of it?" Bruce asked.

"I didn't think you could scale a building with your bare gauntlets" Alfred said. Bruce smiled at his old friend.

"Well, you know how I feel about theatricality" Bruce said. Alfred chuckled. Suddenly, his expression turned serious.

"Speaking of theatricality, this podcast was released a few minutes ago on a website" Alfred said. He turned on the monitor, and Bruce looked at it. Harley Quinn appeared on screen.

"Hi ya people of Gotham! I'm Harley Quinn, the Joker's girlfriend. Well, technically former girlfriend because some dirt-bag politician killed him" Harley said quickly.

Bruce and Alfred exchanged puzzled looks and turned back to the screen.

"And speaking of dirt-bags…" Harley began to say. She walked away from the screen, and came back holding the mayor, who was gagged and tied to a chair. Bruce and Alfred stared at the screen in shock.

"If Batman doesn't find me by midnight, the mayor and the city council are gonna be swimming with the fishes. Literally! Ha, ha, ha, ha, HA, heh, heh!" Harley exclaimed. The TV turned to static. Bruce was staring at it in disbelief. Overcome with grief, he sat down.

"It's the Joker all over again, Alfred" Bruce said. He stared at the screen of the website, determining how to find Harley.

"Alfred, you said it was uploaded on that website?" Bruce inquired.

"That's right sir" the butler responded. Bruce began to browse through the website. He found a contact link with an email address. Bruce opened a separate window, and opened up another program. The program began to hack the email account.

"What are you doing sir?" Alfred asked.

"If I hack into the website's email account, I can get its IP Address" Bruce explained. The program finally hacked into it. Bruce ran another program. The IP Address of the computer that last used it appeared.

"Now I just look up the building's address associated with that IP Address" Bruce continued. He ran another program, and it displayed an address. _576 Wilson Avenue._

"It's a building near the harbor" Bruce said. He rushed over to the lever, and his armor rose out of the ground. He donned the costume, and attached his darts along with their launcher to his utility belt.

"What are you going to do about Dent?" Alfred asked.

"He's not the one holding the mayor hostage. He can wait" Bruce said. He mounted his vehicle, and sped out of the base.


	7. Chapter 7: The Mistress of Chaos

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 7: The Mistress of Chaos**

The MCU was in a panic. Every cop was searching through files in an attempt to find out where Harley Quinn might be. Gordon was searching files in his former office.

"Come on, there's gotta be some record on her" Gordon muttered. Suddenly, his cell phone ringtone began to play. He read the letters on the screen: _Caller ID: Unknown_. Gordon put the phone next to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Harley Quinn is at 576 Wilson Avenue" a gruff voice said. Gordon immediately recognized the caller as Batman.

"Okay, I'll get my men there as soon as I can" Gordon said.

"I'm almost there" Batman told him. The call ended, and Gordon immediately stepped out of his office.

"Get every available unit down to 576 Wilson Avenue! I want snipers to take position on any nearby buildings!" Gordon exclaimed. The cops followed his orders, and scattered to their individual duties. Suddenly, Gordon heard his cell phone ring again. He read the screen's words: _Caller ID: Dent, Harvey_. He answered it suspiciously.

"Harvey?" Gordon asked.

"Hello, Jim" Harvey replied.

"Why are you calling? Don't you know the situation right now?" Gordon inquired.

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about my family than the mayor" Harvey replied. Gordon heard cries for help through the phone.

"Where's my family, Harvey?" Gordon begged.

"Where my family died" Harvey stated coldly. The call ended, and Gordon completely dismissed any worries about Garcia. He entered his car, and drove towards 250 52nd Street: the grave of Rachel Dawes.

* * *

The vigilante manuevered through the industrial maze of Gotham. Batman was dodging dozens of cars and people in his path. Finally, the Batpod came to a stop outside Quinn's hideout, a construction project. Although it had multiple floors, it had no walls. Batman shot his grappling gun into the sky. It hooked onto a floor, and he thrusted into the air. Batman climbed into the room, and saw a clown thug with a pistol. The clown turned towards him, and the vigilante tackled him. Suddenly, he realized something was wrong. He saw that the clown's hands were taped to the gun. He pulled off the mask, and saw a city councilman.

"The clowns are the hostages" Batman muttered. He took off the tape on the man's hands and mouth.

"Harley's at the top floor, five stories up" the councilman said. Batman quickly ran towards the staircase. He went upstairs, and saw several men in a suits with their hands tied. A few clowns were standing near them. Batman ran towards the men seated on the floor

"Batman! We're saved!" one of the men said. Batman picked him up by the throat.

"No you're not" Batman said. He elbowed the man in the face, knocking him out. The other men's hands suddenly untied, and they withdrew their guns. Batman disarmed them one by one. With a flurry of counters and kicks, he knocked out all the fake hostages. Batman took off the clowns' masks, revealing the rest of the councilman and Mayor Garcia.

"Harley's strapped bombs to the support beams on the tower's left side. If anyone other than you goes to the top, she's gonna knock the building into the water!" Garcia explained.

"The police are on their way. I'm going after Quinn" Batman said. He approached the staircase, and began to climb it.

Harley stood near the edge of the building, looking at the water in Gotham's harbor. Two hyenas stood next to her, facing the river. Suddenly, they turned around and began to laugh. Harley turned to see Batman coming towards her.

"There you are. I was worrying that you stood me up, Bats" Harley teased.

"Where's the detonator?" Batman barked. Harley smiled.

"Go get him, babies" she said to the hyenas. They dashed at Batman, fiercely and anxiously. They knocked him to the ground, while he tried to protect himself from their scratches and bites. He punched one in the face, and knocked it down an opening in the floor. It fell down three floors. While his guard was down, the other hyena bit his arm.

"AHH!" Batman screamed in pain.

Batman punched the hyena, and threw it into the wall, where it whimpered before passing out. Harley growled, took out a knife and bat. She charged at Batman with the two weapons. She swung the bat at Batman, who grabbed it and threw it aside. She tried to stab him with the knife, but he grabbed her arm, and threw her into a pillar. She stood back up, still holding the knife. Batman charged at her. She tried to cut his face, but missed. He elbowed her in the stomach, and she fell down on one knee.

Batman walked towards her again, crouched down, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Where is it, Harley?" Batman demanded to know. She grinned, and dug the knife into his leg.

"AUGH!" Batman yelled out of pain and shock. She kicked his face, knocking him on his back. Batman recovered, and stood up. Harley was nowhere in sight. He turned to his right, and saw Harley throwing a kick at him. Unable to block it, he was knocked down again, and slid to the edge of the building. Harley jumped on him. She held a knife right next to his throat in one hand, and in the other, she took out a detonator.

"You really should relax, Bats. You don't wanna miss this" Harley said.

"If you blow up the lower levels, this whole building is going down!" Batman said.

"That's no problem to me" Harley told him. Batman was silent. He slowly moved his hand next to his leg.

"Are you kidding me? That's it? This is the fun my Mr. J was talking about?" Harley asked. She laughed out of amusement. She tilted the detonator back and forth.

"The great Batman defeated by some harlequin. Oh, how I love surprises" Harley bragged.

"Then you'll love this!" Batman yelled. He hit a pressure point on his knee's spikes, and they jolted off the armor. They slashed Harley's hand, knocking away the detonator.

"OWWWW!" Harley screeched. Batman took out his grappling gun, and his legs jerked back, throwing her off the edge.

"AHH, HA, HA, HEH, HEH, HA!" Harley laughed as she fell. Batman shot the gun over the edge, and it caught Harley by her feet.

"Huh?" Harley said. He pulled her all the way up, and tied her to a support beam. He panted deeply out of exhaustion.

"You couldn't do it, huh? You just couldn't kill me" Harley said. The two stared at each other.

"You're something else, aren't you? You won't kill me, because of some useless morality, and I won't kill you… because you're the best entertainment I've had" Harley said with a chuckle.

"I think we're gonna be doing this for eternity" Harley said.

"You'll be locked away in Arkham for eternity" Batman growled.

"Maybe we'll have the same cell. That asylum's gonna get crowded with all these people losing their sanity" Harley said.

"These people have more sanity than you could ever know" Batman replied.

"Until their hope diminishes completely" Harley said. A smile grew on her face.

"Until they see the real Harvey Dent. And all the "sane" things he'd been doing" Harley mocked. Batman looked at her in confusion, and she began to laugh.

"Did you really think I'd put all my chips in for this one gamble? This one fight?" Harley asked.

"No, I always have a backup plan. Which, in this case, is our beloved district attorney" Harley explained.

"What've you done with Harvey?" Batman inquired.

"Actually, he prefers to be called Two-Face now, which is kinda-" Batman punched her in the gut and grabbed her by the neck.

"Tell me what you did!" Batman demanded.

"All I did was release his rage. And you know what the funny part is?" Harley said to Batman. He stared at her attentively.

"When it came to seeing his savagery, you were as blind as a bat!" Harley said. She began to laugh hysterically, with seemingly no end. Batman took flight, and as he glided away, the police stormed up the staircases and approached Harley.

"It's over sister" an officer said. Her laughter stopped, but her smile remained.

"You couldn't be any more wrong" Harley said mischievously.


	8. Chapter 8: A Dark Knight

**The Dark Knight: The White Knight's Fall**

**Chapter 8: A Dark Knight**

Gordon stumbled over piles of ashes and metal in the urban wreckage. He desperately looked around him, searching for his loved ones. Finally, he saw them seated next to a stone pillar. He rushed towards them, and just as he reached them, Harvey came out from behind the pillar. He slammed Gordon into it, knocking him to the ground. Gordon got on his back, and faced the nozzle of Harvey's magnum pointing towards him. Gordon stared at the monster.

"This is where your men brought her Gordon" Harvey said. He sighed with sorrow.

"This is where she died."

"I know, I was here, trying to save her" Gordon replied. Harvey leered at him.

"But you didn't" Harvey said.

"I couldn't have" Gordon explained.

"Yes you could have. If you listened to me. If you stood up against corruption, instead of doing your deal with the Devil." Gordon's anger fumed.

"I was trying to fight the mob!" Suddenly, Harvey shot above his head. Gordon's expression melted into fear.

"You wouldn't dare try to justify yourself if you knew what I lost!" Harvey spat. He was panting angrily, and looked over at Gordon's family.

"But I guess you wouldn't understand. Not yet." Gordon shook his head in disbelief.

"You're not going to kill my family" he said.

"No, just the person you love most" Harvey replied. He walked over to Jim's wife.

"So, is it your wife?" Harvey asked.

"Put the gun down Harvey" Gordon said. He pointed the magnum at the little girl.

"How about your daughter Barbara?"

"Please, Harvey, just put it down" Gordon begged. Harvey aimed at the little boy.

"God damnit would you stop pointing that gun at my family!" Gordon screamed.

"Third time's the charm" Harvey said mischievously. He grabbed the boy, and walked away.

"No, Jim! Stop him, please!" Gordon's wife cried.

"Harvey! Harvey!" Jim yelled. Harvey stopped at the edge, which was far from the ground.

"I'm sorry! For everything!" Gordon explained. Harvey pointed the magnum at the child's head.

"Please don't hurt my son" he pleaded. Suddenly, the roar of an engine echoed from the distance. The noise stopped.

"Sounds like we have company" Harvey muttered. Batman swooped down, landing near Gordon. The vigilante's eyes met with Harvey's.

"Don't do anything you'd regret, Harvey" Batman said.

"It's not about what I'd regret. It's about what's fair!" Harvey said. He motioned his gun towards the crime-fighter.

"You thought we could avoid corruption in a city filled with it!" Harvey stated.

"Life isn't fair, but chance is. It has no bias, no weight, no evil!" he argued.

"What happened to Rachel wasn't chance! It was planned! The Joker wanted to be caught! He and Harley wanted this to happen to you!" Batman explained.

"But why did they choose me?!" Harvey yelled. Batman swallowed his pride, preparing to admit what he knew was true.

"Because you were the best of us! They wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall!" Batman said.

"And they were right" Harvey said. He aimed the nozzle at the kid's head. Batman mustered all his courage.

"You want fairness, Harvey? Then take revenge on the people responsible" Batman demanded.

"Now we're getting somewhere" Harvey said. He took out his coin, and looked at Batman.

"You're first" Harvey said. He flipped the coin, and it landed on the burnt side. He shot Batman, and he fell to the ground. The boy began to cry, gazing at Batman's motionless body. Harvey pointed the gun at his head.

"I'm fair, so I'll go next" Harvey explained. The coin flipped into the air. When he caught it, he stared in horror at the burnt side. Batman pushed past the pain, and barely lifted his head towards Harvey. The district attorney pointed the gun at his own head.

"Harvey, please don't" Gordon honestly said. Batman silently reached for his dart gun.

"It's only fair, Jim" Harvey said. Harvey closed his eyes, and felt the trigger with his finger. Suddenly, he felt something pierce his torso. Batman stood up, staring face to face with Dent. A dart was stuck in his chest, and he began to feel lightheaded. He passed out, and began to fall backwards.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Batman growled as he sprinted towards Harvey. He watched in agony as Harvey fell off the edge, and hit the ground with a thud. Gordon's son rushed into his mother's arms. Batman looked over the edge to see him lay motionlessly on the ground. Batman glided to the ground, and Gordon rushed down a staircase to the bottom. They reached the body, and Gordon listened for a heartbeat.

"He's dead" Gordon said sadly. He looked at Batman.

"But my family's not, thanks to you. I'm forever in your debt" Gordon said.

"You don't owe me anything" Batman said as he clutched his side in pain.

"No, I owe you our lives" Gordon said. Batman knelt beside the body, and Gordon stared at the fallen hero.

"Harley won. All the criminals Harvey locked away, everything he accomplished… it's all ruined. Your chances of saving Gotham died along with him. People's faith will be broken" Gordon said.

"It won't. They can't know what really happened" Batman said. Gordon looked at him in confusion.

"Six people are dead! Including two cops! We can't-" Gordon began to explain. He stopped as Batman rose with a groan.

"But Harley cannot win" Batman said. He turned Harvey's head to show the human half.

"Harvey won't be blamed" Batman explained. Gordon looked at him, realizing what he meant. He knew what he was going to do.

"No" Gordon said to him.

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I can do those things because I'm not a hero, not like Dent." Gordon looked into the man's eyes.

"I'll be blamed" Batman said.

"You can't take the blame! You're not a murderer!" Gordon argued.

"I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be" Batman stated. He eyed Gordon's walkie-talkie.

"Call it in." Gordon looked at the hero in shock.

_Gordon stood at a podium, in front of a huge picture of Harvey_.

"_A hero. Not the hero we deserved but the hero we needed. Nothing less than a knight. Shining." Gordon solemnly said._

"They'll hunt you" Gordon said.

"You'll hunt me, you'll condemn me, set the dogs on me, because that's what needs to happen."

_Gordon stands in the rain, surrounded by police officers. He barely held himself together as he hacked at the Batsymbol with an axe, quickly breaking it._

Batman continued his speech. "Because sometimes, truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more."

_Alfred stood in the penthouse. He lit Rachel's note on fire, staring at the flames wipe away the harsh words._

The police sirens screeched in the distance. "They're here" Gordon said.

Batman ran away, clutching his side still. Gordon's son watched him leave.

"Batman? Batman!" he cried out. He ran up to Gordon.

"Why's he running, Daddy?" he asked. Gordon gulped.

"Because we have to chase him" Gordon said.

"But he didn't do anything wrong" the boy said in puzzlement.

"Because he's the savior Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him." Batman approached the Batpod, hearing the dogs close in on him.

"Because he's more than a hero." Batman started the vehicle, and sped away from the industrial graveyard.

"He's a silent sentinel, Gotham's guardian."

"A Dark Knight" Gordon finished. The Batpod flew up a ramp and into the bright light of a helicopter.

* * *

Thank you for reading my story. This was my first shot at writing a story for Batman, and I'm always open to comments. Feel free to review and tell me what you thought of it.


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